How to Charge the PS5 Controller (Complete guide)

I can’t talk much at the moment. I’m nursing a bruised jaw after it slammed into the floor… See, while watching the Playstation 5 games reveal, my mouth fell open in awe of the graphical gorgeousness Sony has prepared for us.

I was expecting improved visuals, but WOW, raytracing! I love me some rain soaked reflections!

And how about the PS5 itself? Like it or loath it, it’s different looking. Personally, I’m in the, “it looks like a massive router”, camp.

But part of the reveal caught my attention. Specifically the PS5 controller, or what Sony is calling the DualSense controller. I’m loving the new shape of it. I’m sure we can all agree that the old PS4 design, which is nearly unchanged in shape since the PS1 days, is long overdue for a change. And with the PS5 controller, we got it.

This new controller got me thinking: How will we charge the PS5 controller? Will I be able to use the PS4 controller cables? Can I use a dock like I do with my current PS4 controllers.

Even with limited information available, I set out to answer my question.

This is what I found:

How do you charge the PS5 controller: The PS5 controller can be charged in 2 ways:

• The controller can be charged using a standard USB C cable plugged into a wall plug or directly into the PS5
• The DualSense controller charges through an “EXT” port at the bottom of the controller just like on the PS4 controllers.

Ok, now that we have a basic answer, let’s take a look at each point in more detail.

Want a quick summary instead? Head to the conclusion at the bottom of the article.

How to charge the PS5 controller: Use a USB C cable

Similar to the PS4 controller, the PS5 controller, or DualSense controller, can be charged with a simple USB cable.

There are, however, some important differences…

Welcome USB C

Unlike. the PS4 controller, the PS5 controller only charges with the new USB-C standard.

You see, your PS4 controller charged using the older USB 2.0 micro standard. The same type you’ll find on many older Android phones or, if you’re the reader type, at the bottom of every Amazon kindle ever sold.

Sony could have used this older USB standard and saved a bit of money. But I’m thankful that they didn’t. The micro USB has a number of glaring problems that I didn’t want to see transferred over to the PlayStation 5 DualSense.

These include:

• The tiny micro USB can easily be damaged. They are very flimsy. USB-C solves this by surrounding the part you insert into the controller in a metal jacket.
• You could only insert the micro USB 2.0 into a slot one way for it to work. Unfortunately, if you pushed hard enough whilst inserting the micro USB the wrong way around, you could force the micro USB into the slot and it would irreparably damage both the cable and the slot. USB-C solves this by letting you insert the lead into the socket either way

The strong metal jacket plus the ability to insert the cable into the socket easily will protect the controllers USB socket so there is less chance of damage.

You can even buy USB cables ready to charge the PS5 Controller. I’ve bought a Anker 10ft USB-A to USB-C cable to charge my controller while I game.

Alternatively, you could buy a USB-C to USB-C cable such as the 6.5ft Nimaso as the PS5 has both a USB C socket and a USB-A socket on its front. However, these types of USB-C to USB-C cables are more expensive than USB-A to USB-C cables.

And there was one last but massive bonus to using USB see:

Fast charging.

USB C: Fast Charging

As briefly touched on above, one of the greatest benefits of using USB-C is the ability to fast charge your controller. But what does fast charging mean for you? What benefits does it bring?

Put simply, it means exactly what the name suggest. You can charge the controller much faster than past controllers.

In fact, the leaked specs for the DualSense controller suggest that you should expect 30 minutes of game time from every five minutes of charging.

That means for a one hour charge, you can expect six hours of gameplay from your controller.

Not bad.

What’s even better is that you can fast charge your PlayStation 5 controller with any existing fast charging wall plug.

If you don’t have a fast charge plug, I recommend the Aukey Wall Charger. With a throughput of 30W, this high-performance high-quality charging plug can fast charge 4 devices at the same time. I have 2 of them and I charge everything from my Playstation controllers to my iPad Pro using them. In fact, these plugs can charge my iPad pro from empty to full in about 3 hours. Which is really fast considering how huge the Ipad pro battery is! Plus they come with 2 additional normal plug sockets to plug extra standard plugs in if needed.

Take a look at the Aukey Wall charger here.

How to Charge the PS5 Controller: Docking Station

An interesting point I took from the PS5 showcase events was a very brief hint of a new PS5 controller docking station.

The controllers were docked in a very similar way to how we would dock PlayStation 4 controllers in a PS4 docking station. Just take a look at the image above.

For me, this is confirmation that the PlayStation five controller has a socket built-in to it similar to the EXT socket built into the bottom of the PlayStation four controller.

This proprietary socket, other than being for future peripherals, is actually another USB-C socket in disguise. Or, in the PlayStation 4’s case, a USB 2.0.

So the PlayStation 5 controller can also use a docking station.

This is fantastic news for a number of reasons.

For starters, it organizes your controllers and keeps them safe and off the floor. These controllers are likely to cost $60 plus each. So you want to save them from a crushing end under errant boots or becoming your dog’s favorite chew. And I speak from experience. Both of these unfortunate incidents have happened to me. My boxer dog loves to annihilate analog sticks!

Second, it’s another way to charge your controller. If you’re like me, you’ll be gaming a lot over the next few years with your PlayStation 5. And your controllers will see a lot of action.

Your controller will be battered and bruised as you shoot your way through Call of Duty and kick your way through Madden. And on top of that, your Duelsence controller will go through hundreds of charging cycles.

This normal, but excessive use, may end up damaging the charging port from repeated use. I know this can happen because it happened with my PlayStation 4 and Xbox One controllers.

So having a charging station can decrease the wear the main USB-C port experiences.

You can pick up the official PS5 DuelSense Controller charging dock here.

In addition to the official PS5 charging dock, many third-party companies will release their own take on the docking station. These third-party docking stations will likely offer better value for money, whilst providing the same safety and facility as the official controller docking stations.

So keep an eye open for those in the future.

One final word: It’s worth bearing in mind that your PS4 controller dock will not be compatible with the new PS5 controllers. So you will have to buy a new dock.

Conclusion

I just want to Off the end of this article with a quick summary of all the main points I’ve talked about:

• The PS5 controller has a USB-C socket
• It can fast charge (Yay!) unlike the PS4 controller
• You can use any high quality fast charging plug such as the Aukey Wall Charger.
• You can use Standard USB Type-A to USB Type-C cables to charge the controller
• The PlayStation 5 controller is not compatible with the PlayStation 4 controller USB cable
• The PS5 will have a USB Type-A and USB Type-C socket on the front
• The DualSense controller has a second proprietary USB-C socket
• There will be an official charging dock for the PlayStation 5 controller
• There will be 3rd party PS5 controller docking stations
• A Dock helps organize and safeguard your expensive controllers
• PS4 controller dock not compatible with PS5 controllers

What Next?

How much will the PlayStation 5 controller cost? A PS5 controller will cost $69.99.

How much would a PlayStation 5 console cost? The price for the PlayStation 5 console is $499 for the disk drive version and $399 for the digital version.

What features does the PlayStation 5 controller have? The new PS5 DualSense controller has a number of new features including:

• A new textured grip
• Adaptive motorized triggers
• Next-generation haptic feedback
• A built-in microphone
• A reworked ergonomic design